In modern technology, frequent use is made of assemblable connectors in order to transmit electrical and/or optical energy or signals. Usually, one connector part which is fixed or movable is fitted with a certain number of female contact parts and is connected to one or more sources of energy or of signals, and another part of the connector is fitted with male contact parts and is connected to an energy and/or signals user device.
It is frequent for the user device not to use all of the energies (electrical voltages for example) or all of the signals which are available from the female sockets, of the connector (hereinafter referred to as the "female" part the other part being referred to as the "male" part. For reasons of standardization, use is then made of a male part, some of whose contact parts are not connected, or else, for economy, are replaced by dummy contact parts of the same shape, but of a less costly material, for example a plastic material.
The decision not to connect a female contact part is a rarer occurrence. In this case, this contact part is left in place, so as to ensure the isolation of the cavity which contains it from the atmosphere. Its replacement by a less costly part of plastic material could have been considered, but the construction of such a part would be relatively costly owing to the fact that this would be a female part, and this solution has not been proposed.
The aim of the present invention is to provide a process for using a connector which achieves a reduced cost compared with current practice, while ensuring that the unused female cavities are well isolated from the outside.